[Xfire] Chatteox: Hello! We are very pleased to welcome everyone to the Rappelz Online Live Chat! Please welcome our special guests from Rappelz, Xarbon and Tanda, who will now introduce themselves and start taking your questions!
Tanda: Hello. We work for Gala-Net. We publish Rappelz in the English market.
Xarbon: It's a pleasure to be here. :)
Tanda: I am Tanda. I am the producer for Rappelz here at Gala-Net.
Xarbon: I am Xarbon, aka Xarfox. I am the assistant producer for Rappelz.
Tanda: Question: Demondim: Will you create a separate trade-zone (even copy of rondo or whatever) to reduce lag in the cities?
Answer: There will eventually be an auction type system in Rappelz. This will reduce any lag caused by player shops.
Xarbon: Question: Shirohana: We all know that RAPPELZ is one of the biggest Free To Play MMORPG's on the net today. And with popularity comes problems. Is it hard to keep everyone in the community satisfied?
Answer: It's always hard to keep every single user satisfied. There is always a lot of great feedback that we receive from the community, and we do our best to hear out those suggestions while at the same time respecting the design of our development.
Tanda: Question: Tiga: Who are we talking to ? korean developers ? or US ones ?
Answer: You are talking to the publishers in the US.
Xarbon: Question: Catalyst: are there any plans to introduce new pets or mobs to the game in the near future?
Answer: Our developers are always working hard, doing their best to bring you more of the game we all love. Regarding specific additions or patches in the future, you'll just have to wait and see. :)
Tanda: Question: iceyshot: Will the devlopment team consider a timeout system to reduce idlers?
Answer: I am not sure about a time out system, but the devs are working on ways to help this situation. They recently added an option to turn off seeing other players/pets in towns. This will be in the new version of Rappelz that will be released soon.
Xarbon: Question: Shirohana: How do you decide which items will be in NPC shops and which will be in the cash shop?
Answer: Managing in-game items and cash shop items is always a difficult thing to do. There are a lot of different factors that come into play, such as the effect on the economy, or the value of the item to players at different stages of the game.
Xarbon: Question: iceyshot: Will there be any new events happening in the new future? If so will you be able to include characters of all levels and satisfy the different timezones?
Answer: Currently our team is working hard on Epic 4. Once Epic 4 is implemented and stable, we hope to have more time to conduct in-game events.
Tanda: Question: Demondim: How much freedom does the Dev team have to modify stuff from the Korean original?
Answer: We are able to have our own version of Rappelz that has minor changes from the other versions. We do not have any major variations from the other versions
Xarbon: Question: Shirohana: Do you take time to play the game (for fun) by yourselves?
Answer: Playing a game is always the best way to learn about it and it's community. :)
Tanda: Question: Artaxs: What kind of challenges, other than translations, did you face in producing the US version?
Answer: North American users like different game systems than Asian users. For example North American users tend to like less penalties in-game. We try to tweak the game settings to appeal to our users rather than users in other markets.
Xarbon: Question: Demondim: Are there any plans to add native (optional) SLi capability to Rappelz?
Answer: In the short term we have no plans currently for SLi compatibility. However as such configurations become more common, the addition of this feature will definitely be possible.
Tanda: Question: Thor @xmp: Have you fixed or can you fix the glitching in the dungeon Moonlight Ruins Dungeons 1 and 2 (players glitching through walls to make traversing the dungeon faster and easier)?
Answer: Much, but not all of this has been fixed. We would like these type of issues to be resolved as soon as possible.
Xarbon: Question: Shirohana: Asked To Both: Before Rappelz, did either of you play online games yourselves?
Answer: I have had a long history with MMORPGs, I began playing them in the early 90s, and continue to play MMOs to this day.
Tanda: Question: Tiga: Is wedding system still "not" scheduled ?
Answer: This is something we are not considering right now.
Xarbon: Question: Tiga: What about customising items ? Are you going to release new ones ? When can we expect it to be released?
Answer: New additions to Rappelz are always on the horizon, but again, specifics regarding new content and items will be divulged when the time comes. :)
Tanda: Question: iceyshot: Alot of people have wondered whether guilds will have a "ranking" system added, in which you can be "promoted" and demoted"
Answer: This is something we would like to have in the game. The developers are working on designing a more complex guild system.
Tanda: Question: Shirohana: Asked To Both: Before Rappelz, did either of you play online games yourselves?
Answer: I have been playing, and running, online games such as MMOs and MUDs since the mid 90's
Xarbon: Question: Shirohana: How do you feel being a GM to a game is different to playing the game? Does it take some of the fun factor out, or does it make you more proud of your creation when you see more and more users playing?
Answer: It definitely takes away a part of MMOs that I enjoy, and that part being the mystery of an MMORPG. Being a GM you have no doors closed to you, and no content that you cannot see. When you're playing a MMORPG from a gamer's perspective, you have a sense of adventure, and also a sense of curiosity as you explore the unknown. :) But on the other side of the coin, being able to see the "ins and outs" of a MMORPG really allows for a deeper appreciation of the development side of a game.
Tanda: Question: I've heard a lot about the famous pets system in Rappelz, what makes it more unique than other MMOs? How much do they impact the play in comparison?
Answer: In Rappelz pets are a major part of gameplay. In other games they do not play such a major role. In the newer versions of Rappelz pets become even more important and powerful and will become a larger part of the game. They also become easier to get.
Tanda: Question: iceyshot: What have been your high and low points of devloping Rappelz? This is for both GMs.
Answer: It is always great to see players' happy reactions to new content. It is sometimes frustrating when there are issues that you can not resolve right away.
Xarbon: Question: iceyshot: What have been your high and low points of devloping Rappelz? This is for both GMs.
Answer: I think that the high points definitely revolve around the release of new versions. It's always great to see players excited about a game they already love.
Xarbon: Question: iceyshot: What have been your high and low points of devloping Rappelz? This is for both GMs.
Answer: The feedback for Epic 4 has been extraordinary. I believe that a few people will feel a little disoriented initially due to all the changes, but once players get used to Epic 4 I believe they'll gain a deeper appreciation for Rappelz.
Xarbon: And find the game to be much more in depth and rewarding.
Xarbon: Question: $PG$=SW=Alcatraz=SotG=: compared to other MMORPGs are the Rappelz server crowded to the point that you can't log on? I know that Silkroad Online has that problem alot. If the answer to first question is yes, then will other servers be added later to help releave the crowding?
Answer: The popularity of Rappelz has been amazing, and as a result of that we're working hard to make sure that we aren't subject to the same problems our competitors have.
Xarbon: Question: Potte: What's up with not being able to walk around with w, a, s and d?
Answer: Click to move is very popular in Asia, and as a result, many MMORPGs that are designed from that region use that same movement system.
Tanda: Question: Shirohana: Besides the obvious things of running the community and making a game. What other jobs must GM's do
Answer: GMs do other jobs depending on their skills. Such as QA, Tech Support, Marketing, Web development etc.
Tanda: Question: Thor @xmp: How will the days that Epic 3 were down be re-imbursed for those players who had cash shop items?
Answer: We will take care of our players :)
Xarbon: Question: SexyJames: Sorry if this is a repeat question, I've only just joined. What made you decide to implement the stamina system?
Answer: The stamina system was implemented in order to try to reward casual players.
Tanda: Question: septravarius: The website's FAQ section has this "new player" list that hangs my browser every time I load it, is that really necessary to have on that page?
Answer: We will be overhauling our website over the next few months. I hope this will not affect your browser. You can email us your browser information so we can be sure to check it will not crash while using it.
Xarbon: Question: iceyshot: Alot of people complain about the lack of ability to download patches. Many have requested a possible manual download instead. Is this something that is currently being considered?
Answer: Currently our network has been under heavy maintenance and restructuring, due to the increase in popularity of Rappelz and other Gala-Games.
Tanda: Question: Catalyst: will there be any new features that guilds may participate in besides dungeon sieges and time attacks as not every dungeon owner has weekly sieges?
Answer: A guild war system and an alliance system are in progress. There are other things planned for later this year too.
Xarbon: Question: septravarius: As a new player, I found that a lot of things have not been fully explained to me through the early stages of the game. Anything learned had to be learned for external sources, websites, or talking to other players. Is there a better tutorial in the works to fully explain the game to new players? or are we forced to sort of stumble in the dark using trial and error til we figure out how to build a character, what stamina is for, etc...
Answer: Implementing an in-game help system is currently being worked on, we hope to implement it in the near future.
Tanda: Question: Shirohana: Are there any plans for another server cluster?
Answer: Yes. We will continue to add new servers as needed. And there should be a new one fairly soon.
Xarbon: Question: Tiga: What about localized versions? I remember you were looking for german/french translators for Rappelz. How is it going ? Is it still up to date ?
Answer: We have another team in Europe that is localizing Rappelz for that region. Everything regarding that project is progressing well.
Tanda: Question: iceyshot: Alot of people complain about the lack of ability to download patches. Many have requested a possible manual download instead. Is this something that is currently being considered?
Answer: Yes. We would like to offer manual patches. And it is being considered.
Tanda: Question: Demondim: Is there an ETA for party-arena duels?
Answer: Sorry, I have no ETA on that.
Xarbon: Question: iceyshot: Do you love the job you do running this game? Or do you see as more of a "chore" you must do to earn your wage?
Answer: It has always been my dream to work in the game industry, so to me this position is somewhat of a blessing.
Tanda: Question: iceyshot: Do you love the job you do running this game? Or do you see as more of a "chore" you must do to earn your wage?
Answer: I think for many people working as a GM on a MMORPG is a dream job. I enjoy my job.
Xarbon: Question: Demondim: Gold Farmers have plagued Rappelz recently, are active/legal steps being taken against them? (I appreciate details are probably not allowed to be disclosed)
Answer: Gold farming is a problem for every MMO out there. We actively ban gold famers, and have several countermeasures in place to deter gold farmers.
Tanda: Question: Tiga: Are new dungeons going to be implemented ? If so, can you tell us what will be level requirements ? because cristal valley dungeon is beginning to be too low for 9x players. Moreover, since CV's siege is 64 players, would a new dungeon (for higher levels) be for 128 players ?
Answer: There will be new high level dungeons. The next one will probably be around the 9x to 11x range.
Xarbon: Question: Thor @xmp: Why did you make the switch in hardware / ISP these past few weeks?
Answer: Growing pains. ;)
Xarbon: Question: septravarius: Are there any templates or character types you see more than others, or are the classes pretty well spread evenly over the population?
Answer: I think with every game you're going to see a fair number of "cookie-cutter" class/race combinations. However I believe that after Epic 4 is released, we'll see a much more diverse in game population.
Tanda: Question: septravarius: Are there any templates or character types you see more than others, or are the classes pretty well spread evenly over the population?
Answer: In the live version (Epic 3) there are some classes that are much less common than others. In Epic 4 we expect to see a more even spread of classes.
Xarbon: Question: Shirohana: Gpotato also host alot of other famous korean MMORPG's. Do you work close together in the department. Do you contact each other at all?
Answer: Most of our developers are located in Korea. Communication however, is incredibly vital to the success of our games, and we put a heavy emphasis on the publisher/developer relationship.
Tanda: Question: Shirohana: Gpotato also host alot of other famous korean MMORPG's. Do you work close together in the department. Do you contact each other at all?
Answer: The teams running the various games at Gala-Net do work close together and talk with each other.
Xarbon: Question: Shirohana: Did you ever expect RAPPELZ to be as big as it is today?
Answer: When I first saw Rappelz, I saw a game that had a very unique feel and style. If that's not a recipe for success, then I don't know what is. :)
Tanda: Question: Tiga: R5 stuff is already implemented in test server. But they still look like R4. When can we expect those new skins to be added ingame ?
Answer: Yes. The developers are working on the art for the R5 and R6 items. They will also update the art on some of the existing equipment.
Xarbon: Question: Catalyst: will there be any changes to the drop rates concerning higher level players as it seems too scarce as this current stage?
Answer: High level items are always supposed to be a rare commodity. We do, however, take player feedback very seriously, and take many things into consideration.
Tanda: Question: Gamerush: Will you make more armor for the different characters levels? Verses just 3 for level’s 1-20-50…?
Answer: Yes, but not a lot. The focus will be more on decorative equipment.
Xarbon: Question: iceyshot: Is there anyway for players who are not involved in the beta testing able to some how become involved in the devlopment of the game? If so how?
Answer: The Rappelz forums is always a great source of feedback and ideas for future development. If you want to contribute to Rappelz, the forums is the best way to go. :)
Tanda: Question: Shirohana: Did you ever expect RAPPELZ to be as big as it is today?
Answer: I think Rappelz will continue to grow. It is still fairly early in its development cycle compared to some other games. There is a lot of exciting changes and features coming.
Xarbon: Question: iceyshot: You say the forums are the best way to go, but they have been unavailiable for quite awhile. When are they expected back up?
Answer: We expect the forums to be back up within a weeks time.
Xarbon: Question: Demondim: Do any of your team play as normal characters - ie no tag, for fun in their own time? or is it liek taking your work home?
Answer: Playing the game normally is the best way to understand the game from a player's perspective. :)
Tanda: Question: Tiga: I'm so curious! Give us some examples of decorative items please :)
Answer: There will be all kinds of things. From just fancy looking weapons to special costumes and wings.
Tanda: Question: Demondim: Do any of your team play as normal characters - ie no tag, for fun in their own time? or is it liek taking your work home?
Answer: Yes, most of us play the game. Not only is it helpful to understand the game, it us fun. Personally I do not play too often on my own time because, even though I love Rappelz, I do not want my whole life to be Rappelz.
Xarbon: Question: septravarius: Will Epic 4 or any future version of Rappelz allow the player to transfer wealth generated in-world to real world accounts, such as the way Entropia Universe or Second Life does currently?
Answer: That is not the business model of Rappelz, nor do we have any immediate plans to adapt this model.
Xarbon: Question: Catalyst: will anyone ever be able to transfer their characters from one server to another most likely a cash related thing but is this being considered?
Answer: This is something that is being considered, but there are currently no plans to implement it.
Tanda: Question: iceyshot: When devloping the game, have you ever got carried away with certain things, such as making monsters look excessively ugly or making a weapon really too powerful, just for the fun of it?
Answer: We do work closely with the developers, but we publish Rappelz here at Gala-Net, we do not develop it. So we do not work on the artwork that you describe.
Xarbon: Question: Shirohana: Is it hard making up weapons and items mathmatically to fight equally against monsters (hard question to express)
Answer: The balancing of weapons and items in game is always an ongoing task. Sometimes items are fine as they're designed, sometimes they need some tweaking here and there.
Xarbon: Question: Potte: Are all of your games from Korea? Cuz I would like one with WASD movements
Answer: Currently yes, all our games are from Korea, FlyFF, Space Cowboy, and Upshift Online currently support WASD movement.
Tanda: Question: Potte: Are all of your games from Korea? Cuz I would like one with WASD movements
Answer: Currently all of our games are from Korea, but we are not limited to publishing games from Korea. Our company just happens to have a lot of contacts in the Korean game developer community. The country the game comes from does not matter to us.
Xarbon: Question: Demondim: are there any "approved" methods to bypassing the loading screens? they're nice, but become somewhat tiresome after multiple logins per day... or how about random visuals on loading?
Answer: Non-official modification of the game is generally frowned upon.
Tanda: Question: Catalyst: will customizing make players look more different from other players creating a more unique player?
Answer: Yes, players will have more options with how they look with decorative equipment. This will let players look more unique.
Xarbon: Question: iceyshot: Whats the hardest thing about being a GM?
Answer: Being spammed. :)
Tanda: Question: iceyshot: Whats the hardest thing about being a GM?
Answer: The hardest thing for me is when I can not help people because of issues that are outside of my control.
Xarbon: Question: Potte: Which of your games would you said that's the best?
Answer: All of our games are quite different and in most cases are of different genres. Labeling one of them as the best doesn't sit right with me. :)
[Xfire] Chatteox: Okay, this concludes the chat with the Rappelz Online team! Thank You to our special guests, Xarbon and Tanda, and thank you everyone for participiating. Now onto the prizes! If you are one of the winners PM me for instructions on how to claim your prize!
Tanda: Bye guys, thanks for the chat!
[Xfire] Chatteox: We have some prizes to give out to chat participants today. 10 people will win a coupon for Rappelz microcurrency.
The winners are:
Catalyst
Demondim
Gamerush
Potte
Tiga
Sirohana
$PG$=SW=Alcatraz=SotG=
Thor @ xmp
iceyshot
septravarius
Congratulations!